Politicians air their concerns about fracking, wastewater

Published: Sunday, March 17, 2013 at 5:11 p.m.

Last Modified: Sunday, March 17, 2013 at 5:11 p.m.

If the Piedmont region is opened up to fracking, keep the wastewater away from our coastal backyard. That's the sentiment of many local elected leaders as the state Republican leadership appears eager to open its arms to hydraulic fracturing as a home-grown source of natural gas.

Injection of wastewater into deep wells is one way to dispose of the chemically laced byproduct produced by fracking, which releases gas by blasting a complex mixture of water, chemicals and sand into shale rock formations. There are other options for wastewater, including industry reuse and recycling, such as for agriculture purposes after a thorough scrubbing.

But the idea that officials are even studying the possibility of deep well injection sites for wastewater – currently banned under state law – doesn't sit well with many local officials.

Recently voiced concerns among coastal lawmakers have prompted a key member of the Republican House leadership to tap the brakes on Senate Bill 76 as it begins its process in the House. The bill, which calls for the issuing of permits for fracking in March 2015, quickly sailed through the Senate late last month.

Rep. Mike Hager, the Republican majority whip from Rutherford, is calling on coastal lawmakers to take a prominent role in the debate, particularly when it comes to the potential disposal of fracking wastewater in the Coastal Plain.

"We want the representatives that have the most at risk to have the most say in the process," he said.

Mayors alarmed

If the state's geography can safely sustain deep well injection sites – and that's a big if – the Coastal Plain is likely the only place with land porous enough to support them. But whether these wells would be safe anywhere, including on the coast, is a topic under study by the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources.

The issue of wastewater potentially being trucked to the coast was raised recently during a meeting of the southeast Brunswick mayors, which includes the communities of Bald Head Island, Caswell Beach, Oak Island, Southport, St. James and Boiling Spring Lakes.

"We all couldn't be more opposed to it," Wallace said of the local mayors. "If there are areas in the Piedmont they want to begin fracking, I don't have an opinion on that, but I do know that if you create waste during the manufacture of anything you should contain that waste. You should not ship it to another area just because it would be easier."

Even while supporting the concept of alternative natural gas exploration, several members of the local General Assembly delegation also say they plan to take a cautious approach to the legislation before them that, in addition to setting hard dates for permitting, also lifts a statewide ban on deep well injection.

"It's definitely not something that I'm going to take lightly," said Rep. Ted Davis Jr., R-New Hanover. "It's out there that this particular harm could be done, so it's got my interest and concern."

Sen. Thom Goolsby, R-New Hanover, voted in favor of the Senate bill because, he said, it calls on legislators to review regulations put forth by the N.C. Mining and Energy Commission before fracking begins. But he said he's still "very concerned" about contamination of the coast's groundwater and not completely sold on the deal.

"I've said from the beginning that as we look at fracking we have to take our time and make sure that all safeguards are set up before I'm going to be in support of any of these new energy sources," he said.

Rep. Susi Hamilton, D-New Hanover, called Senate Bill 76 a "worst case scenario" bill. Hamilton took a lot of heat for her vote last year to approve a measure that allowed the N.C. Mining and Energy Commission to begin writing regulations for the industry. But hindsight, she said, proves that was a good vote.

"Thank goodness we had a committee already established in 2012," she said. "Had we not had a committee … my fear is SB76 that just passed through the Senate would be what we are living with."

Pausing for study

Hager said the Senate bill may not get a hearing in a House committee for several more weeks, allowing more research time on the topic of wastewater disposal. He also mentioned the possibility of removing the section of the bill lifting the ban on deep injection wells and forming a study committee on that issue alone.

Hager specifically mentioned Rep. Rick Catlin, R-New Hanover, as a member he wants to call to the table. Catlin, a geologist and environmental engineer, may have opened the eyes of many on the coast with his recent comments that the Eastern Seaboard is the only suitable place for deep injection wells. Prior to his comments hitting news pages, the fracking debate had largely been focused in central North Carolina, where the shale rock formations are abundant.

"I want to know a lot more about it," said Wilmington Mayor Bill Saffo. "I'd have to see what's in this water. Why can't they put it in the areas they're taking it from? There're a lot of questions that need to be asked about this whole process.

"Our quality of life is one of our greatest assets in this part of the state, and we just don't want to ruin that."

But not all local officials are sounding alarm bells.

Rep. Frank Iler, R-Brunswick, said he supports green-lighting fracking and believes talk of wastewater getting shipped to coastal communities is a red herring pushed by opponents.

"I call it a scare tactic," he said. "People against it will use anything to scare anybody."

Asked if he thought the statements made by his House colleague, Catlin, were also a scare tactic, Iler said: "I'm certainly not going to take on an engineer who knows more than I do, but there're other engineers with other opinions out there."

<p>If the Piedmont region is opened up to fracking, keep the wastewater away from our coastal backyard. That's the sentiment of many local elected leaders as the state Republican leadership appears eager to open its arms to hydraulic fracturing as a home-grown source of natural gas. </p><p>"My gut response: No, no-no-no-no-no," said Oak Island Mayor Betty Wallace. </p><p>Injection of wastewater into deep wells is one way to dispose of the chemically laced byproduct produced by fracking, which releases gas by blasting a complex mixture of water, chemicals and sand into shale rock formations. There are other options for wastewater, including industry reuse and recycling, such as for agriculture purposes after a thorough scrubbing.</p><p>But the idea that officials are even studying the possibility of deep well injection sites for wastewater – currently banned under state law – doesn't sit well with many local officials. </p><p>Recently voiced concerns among coastal lawmakers have prompted a key member of the Republican House leadership to tap the brakes on Senate Bill 76 as it begins its process in the House. The bill, which calls for the issuing of permits for fracking in March 2015, quickly sailed through the Senate late last month. </p><p>Rep. Mike Hager, the Republican majority whip from Rutherford, is calling on coastal lawmakers to take a prominent role in the debate, particularly when it comes to the potential disposal of fracking wastewater in the Coastal Plain. </p><p>"We want the representatives that have the most at risk to have the most say in the process," he said.</p><h3>Mayors alarmed</h3>
<p>If the state's geography can safely sustain deep well injection sites – and that's a big if – the Coastal Plain is likely the only place with land porous enough to support them. But whether these wells would be safe anywhere, including on the coast, is a topic under study by the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources. </p><p>The issue of wastewater potentially being trucked to the coast was raised recently during a meeting of the southeast Brunswick mayors, which includes the communities of Bald Head Island, Caswell Beach, Oak Island, Southport, St. James and Boiling Spring Lakes.</p><p>"We all couldn't be more opposed to it," Wallace said of the local mayors. "If there are areas in the Piedmont they want to begin fracking, I don't have an opinion on that, but I do know that if you create waste during the manufacture of anything you should contain that waste. You should not ship it to another area just because it would be easier." </p><p>Even while supporting the concept of alternative natural gas exploration, several members of the local General Assembly delegation also say they plan to take a cautious approach to the legislation before them that, in addition to setting hard dates for permitting, also lifts a statewide ban on deep well injection. </p><p>"It's definitely not something that I'm going to take lightly," said Rep. Ted Davis Jr., R-New Hanover. "It's out there that this particular harm could be done, so it's got my interest and concern."</p><p>Sen. Thom Goolsby, R-New Hanover, voted in favor of the Senate bill because, he said, it calls on legislators to review regulations put forth by the N.C. Mining and Energy Commission before fracking begins. But he said he's still "very concerned" about contamination of the coast's groundwater and not completely sold on the deal. </p><p>"I've said from the beginning that as we look at fracking we have to take our time and make sure that all safeguards are set up before I'm going to be in support of any of these new energy sources," he said.</p><p>Rep. Susi Hamilton, D-New Hanover, called Senate Bill 76 a "worst case scenario" bill. Hamilton took a lot of heat for her vote last year to approve a measure that allowed the N.C. Mining and Energy Commission to begin writing regulations for the industry. But hindsight, she said, proves that was a good vote. </p><p>"Thank goodness we had a committee already established in 2012," she said. "Had we not had a committee … my fear is SB76 that just passed through the Senate would be what we are living with."</p><h3>Pausing for study</h3>
<p>Hager said the Senate bill may not get a hearing in a House committee for several more weeks, allowing more research time on the topic of wastewater disposal. He also mentioned the possibility of removing the section of the bill lifting the ban on deep injection wells and forming a study committee on that issue alone. </p><p>Hager specifically mentioned Rep. Rick Catlin, R-New Hanover, as a member he wants to call to the table. Catlin, a geologist and environmental engineer, may have opened the eyes of many on the coast with his recent comments that the Eastern Seaboard is the only suitable place for deep injection wells. Prior to his comments hitting news pages, the fracking debate had largely been focused in central North Carolina, where the shale rock formations are abundant. </p><p>"I want to know a lot more about it," said Wilmington Mayor <a href="http://www.starnewsonline.com/section/topic72"><b>Bill Saffo</b></a>. "I'd have to see what's in this water. Why can't they put it in the areas they're taking it from? There're a lot of questions that need to be asked about this whole process. </p><p>"Our quality of life is one of our greatest assets in this part of the state, and we just don't want to ruin that." </p><p>But not all local officials are sounding alarm bells. </p><p>Rep. Frank Iler, R-Brunswick, said he supports green-lighting fracking and believes talk of wastewater getting shipped to coastal communities is a red herring pushed by opponents. </p><p>"I call it a scare tactic," he said. "People against it will use anything to scare anybody." </p><p>Asked if he thought the statements made by his House colleague, Catlin, were also a scare tactic, Iler said: "I'm certainly not going to take on an engineer who knows more than I do, but there're other engineers with other opinions out there."</p><p></p><p>Metro desk: 343-2389</p><p>On <a href="http://www.starnewsonline.com/section/news41"><b>Twitter</b></a>: @StarNewsMolly</p>